HARTFORD – The
New Haven Drug Court will hold an open session in the Grand Courtroom at
Quinnipiac Law School in Hamden on Thursday, April 12th, 2001
from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. The Hon. Sheila Prats will preside.

"We are pleased to offer the public
and the media the chance to view our Drug Court Sessions and get a glimpse
at this innovative program," said the Hon. Joseph H. Pellegrino,
Chief Court Administrator. "We are grateful to the Quinnipiac Law
School for giving us the opportunity to bring our Drug Court Session to
its campus."

Drug Court Sessions are sessions of the
Superior Court that assist with the intervention, treatment and
rehabilitation of non-violent drug offenders who desire to change
circumstances in their lives and break the cycle of drug dependency.

The Drug Court Program consists of a
minimum of 48 weeks and a maximum of 15 months of treatment, which may
consist of inpatient, residential and outpatient treatment or a
combination of any of the above.

Drug Court "teams" consist of the
Judge, a State’s Attorney, a Public Defender, a Public Defender Social
Worker, a Pre-Trial Service Bail Commissioner and a Drug Session Program
Coordinator and Clinical Assessor. The Team meets weekly to review the
treatment progress of each individual. All drug sessions require
defendants to sign a contract outlining the court-ordered treatment
conditions and sanctions, including community service.

In 4½ years of existence, the New Haven
Drug Court—a national mentor court and training site—has graduated
over 150 participants. Between January 2000 and February 2001, 44 clients
have graduated. Two of these graduates earned their GED prior to
graduation and one entered college.

Other Drug Court Sessions are located in
Bridgeport, Waterbury and Hartford. The Hartford Drug Session is for
juveniles. During three years of operation, Bridgeport Drug Court has
graduated 51 clients while Waterbury graduated 16 clients between July
2000 and February 2001. All of the graduates were employed upon
graduation.

Media outlets are invited to attend as well
as photograph this Drug Court Session. For credentials and permission to
photograph the proceedings, please fax a letter to Ginny Apple, Manager of
Communications at 860-757-2215, no later than 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 11,
2001.